Cinematic Feast Hindered by Murky Narrative

Read Time:3 Minute, 49 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Emptiness
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Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Year Released: 2023
Runtime: 1h 16m
Director(s): Onur Karaman
Cast: Stephanie Breton, Alex Dubois, Rebecca Rowley, Anana Rydvald, Marc Thibaudeau, Julie Trepanier
Where To Watch: Fantasia 2023 Film Festival – World Premiere July 22, 2023; for more information visit www.fantasiafestival.com

RAVING REVIEW: In the big screen's universe of chills and thrills, EMPTINESS flutters into the frame with grand ambition but has some stumbles along the way. The movie invites us to a mysterious country house frozen in time, burdened with secrets and ghoulish whispers. Here, Stephanie Breton’s character, Suzanne, attempts to navigate the icy silence left behind by her husband’s unexpected exit.

The house, an enigmatic character, is inhabited by a trifecta of complex women—Suzanne, alongside Linda and Nicole, convincingly portrayed by Julie Trépanier and Anana Rydvald, respectively. The dynamic between them is a gripping dance of tension, and their contrasting personalities breathe life into the storyline. Linda, the sympathetic soul, and Nicole, the hard-edged realist, maintain a unified alliance that Suzanne must steer clear of the barn. Yet, this forbidden structure is a magnet to Suzanne, beckoning her toward a hidden horror.

This film marks a significant milestone for Onur Karaman—his first plunge into the deep waters of English-language cinema. His knack for curating a dread-filled ambiance through unnerving visuals and haunting audio scores lends a bone-chilling touch to EMPTINESS. Suzanne's anguish is the narrative's driving force, captured beautifully in Breton's performance and magnified by Tom McNamara's skillful lens work. Her real-life horror blends seamlessly with nightmarish elements, yielding a surreal landscape.

However, the film trips over its narrative flow. The suspense, a lifeblood of the horror-thriller genre, is diluted by prematurely revealing significant plot twists. Consequently, the audience remains one step ahead of the characters, dampening the film's fright factor.

Karaman's affinity for a minimalist storytelling style takes center stage in EMPTINESS. This results in a narrative as disoriented and murky as Suzanne's reality—mired in forgetful confusion and bristling with fear. Unfortunately, though visually striking, this artistic direction yearns for more depth and a stronger emotional tether.

The characters grapple with a script that spins its wheels, offering little opportunity for growth and evolution. This limits the emotional pulse of the narrative and threatens to edge the film into the realm of the forgettable, despite its blend of ordinary and surreal elements.

As Suzanne dives deeper into her web of illusions, she is challenged to discern between her actual experiences and her perceived reality. This inner struggle eventually unravels the complexities and dynamics within the house, hinting at the source of her psychological disquiet.

Visually, EMPTINESS is a cinematic feast, boasting meticulously designed shots and an echoingly stark sound design that pays homage to the masters of cinema. Yet, its attempt to find the sweet spot between the subtle and shocking aspects of horror results in a somewhat jarring imbalance.

In the final cut, EMPTINESS struggles to tightly weave its narrative despite harboring the potential to mark a significant point in Karaman's directorial timeline. The fascinating premise of a woman tormented by an unseen dread is bogged down by a meandering storyline, diluting the audience's engagement. The emotional tension falls flat, and despite the film's ambitious drive towards an unnerving psychological exploration, it manages to scrape up a modest two-star rating.

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[photo courtesy of KARAMAN PRODUCTIONS INC.]

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